Post office · Madras Presidency
SalemPostal Covers & Pre-1854 Postal History
Salem postal covers and handstruck postal markings of pre-1854 British India, recorded in an open census: 6 Salem handstamps recorded between 1824 and 1853, Madras Presidency, with 5 Salem covers traced to them.
- Handstamps
- 6
- Recorded
- 1824–1853
Salem City, headquarters of Salem District, Madras Presidency, is 206 miles from Madras, and situated 11°19' N and 78°10' E. By treaty with Haidar Ali's son in 1792, the whole District, except Oosoor fell to the Company.
Salem has 6 pre-1854 hand-struck postal markings dated 1824–1853 recorded in this census. Each figure links to its covers, rarity and provenance.
Manuscript markings
1 markBefore handstamps were introduced, postmasters wrote postal details by hand — these manuscript markings pre-date the struck marks above.
Brown border = community submission, verified by editors
Salem handstamp summary
All recorded markings at a glance — click any row for full details and covers.
Salem— postal history & markings
Salem's six marks, from 1824 to 1853, include a manuscript endorsement and a run of common handstamps in black and red. A small point of lettering distinguishes the early dies: HG 1 and HG 2 are noted for their script 'e's, a hand-drawn form worth watching for. The district had passed to the Company by treaty with Haidar Ali's son in 1792, and its post served a Madras headquarters town inland from the coast. The record carries no great rarity, but the script lettering and the early manuscript give the specialist a little more to sort by than the plain common strikes suggest.
Frequently asked — Salem postal history
- What are the pre stamp covers of Salem?
- Pre stamp (pre philatelic) covers of Salem are folded letters and envelopes that passed through the Salem post office before India's first adhesive stamp of 1854, so postage was shown entirely by hand-struck postal markings and manuscript rates. Salem was a post office of the Madras Presidency, British India, and this census records 6 distinct postal markings used there, dated between 1824 and 1853.
- How many handstamps are recorded for Salem?
- 6 hand-struck postal markings are recorded for Salem in this census. Each mark carries its Hammond Giles catalogue figure number, colour, date range, evidence-based rarity grade, and links to every surviving cover recorded with it.
- How do I identify a Salem postmark or cover?
- Compare your cover against the reference impressions on this page — each figure shows the mark's design, ink colour and recorded date range. If your Salem cover bears a mark that matches a figure, open that figure's page to see every recorded example with provenance. If it matches none, it may be unrecorded: submit photographs through the form on this page and the editors will review it for inclusion in the census.
For background on the material itself, see the guides to the handstruck stamps of India, the pre covers of India and the pre stamp covers of India, which explain how marks like those recorded at Salem were struck, catalogued and graded for rarity.
Also searched as: Salem, Salem HG 1, Salem handstruck stamps, Salem pre stamp covers, Salem postal history.
How to cite
“Salem, Madras Presidency — pre-1854 handstruck stamps & covers,” Hand Struck Stamps, https://handstruckstampsindia.com/madras/salem (accessed 24 September 2026).
Updated: 24 Sept 2026
An unrecorded mark from Salem?
If you hold a cover or strike from Salem that does not match any figure above, submit it below. Approved additions appear here as new entries in the census — every submission is reviewed first.
Same presidency
Other post offices in the Madras Presidency
Explore the pre-1854 postal history of other Madras Presidency post offices — each page lists its recorded handstruck markings, dates and surviving covers.